HP "Classic" Vectra help

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Mon Jul 26 16:46:11 1999

Chris,

At 03:40 PM 7/26/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Upon the date 08:27 PM 7/26/99 +0200, Hans B Pufal said something like:
>>Christian Fandt wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi folks,
>>>
>>
>>> Anybody know if the setup files are still online at HP and if so where are
>>> they? If nothing is on HP's site anymore does anybody have a copy of the
>>> setup file for the _Classic_ Vectra they could email to me?
>>
>>I'll see if I can find one at HP Grenoble when I visit this week. This
>>is where the vectras were (and still are) designed.
>
>That's great Hans! I would be much appreciative!
>
>As a matter of fact, this machine was built in France in April 1986. Makes
>sense to me as this was the first of the Vectra models introduced.
>
>Also, if you think you can, could you please get any technical info
>available on HP's HPIB card which was used in this machine.

  I have one of these machines too. I think I downloaded the setup from HP
within the last couple of months but I don't know if I still have it
around. If you get any information or software for the HP-IB cards let me
know, I have a couple of them here too.
>
>For you others who are wondering why this machine is still in use:
>
>The application software used on it runs only with the HP HPIB card (and
>some version of a Techmar card too, I understand) and the operating system
>_must_ be no later than MSDOS 3.2.

  Hmmm. That's news to me.

Apparently, the software vendor, Ernst
>Leitz GmbH, had used hardware addresses specific to the HPIB card and
>perhaps to the Classic Vectra itself along with system calls, etc. found
>only in dos 3.2 and earlier. Also, Leica engineers found that ISA bus
>speeds cannot be too high (e.g. > 8MHz or so).

  That's not uncommon with many old cards. I have some HP HP-IL cards that
have the same problem.

    Joe
Received on Mon Jul 26 1999 - 16:46:11 BST